Pools included
The baths day
Our pick for a first visit
- Length11 hours
- Afternoon3 hours of pools
- TastingCheese and spirits
Make-your-mind-up tool
The best Zakopane tour from Krakow for the day you want
Zakopane day: funicular, tasting, thermal pools
★ 4.8 · 10,563 written reviews
The short version
The best Zakopane tour from Krakow depends on the afternoon you want: thermal pools for a classic first visit, a highland day of chapels and views, a snowmobile day in winter or a walk to Morskie Oko.
Choosing essentials
Two questions, one Tatra day
Which Zakopane day trip suits you
Say how you want to spend the afternoon and who is coming, and a tour appears with its starting price.
The right fit for you
The classic baths day
from €23
11 hours: Chocholow tasting, Krupowki, the Gubalowka funicular and 3 hours in the Chocholowskie pools.
The right fit for you
The highland day
from €19
9 hours with the ski jump, the Jaszczurowka chapel and a full hour on Gubalowka, no pools.
The right fit for you
The Morskie Oko day
from €155
9 hours from Krakow with about 4 hours of walking to the lake.
The right fit for you
Snowmobile and baths
from €47
10 hours with a snowmobile ride and the Chocholowskie baths; the rental is paid in cash.
The right fit for you
Private car tour
from €83
10 to 12 hours, customisable, with extras such as Morskie Oko or the baths paid on top.
A pool day, a sightseeing day, snow under a snowmobile, a lake hike or your own car: the Zakopane day trips side by side, with what each one leaves out.
Editorial team, zakopane-tour.com · Updated November 9, 2026 · 7 mins to read
Quick look
- For a first visitThe baths day: funicular, tasting and 3 hours in thermal pools, from €23.
- For sightseersThe 9-hour highland day trades the pools for a ski jump and a wooden chapel.
- For winter thrillsSnowmobile days from Krakow start from €43, plus a cash ride fee.
- For hikersThe lake trip from Krakow means roughly 4 hours on foot.
- For your own groupYour own car and driver, with a plan you shape, from €83.
How the Zakopane day trips differ
Almost every Zakopane day trip from Krakow follows the same skeleton: a coach south in the morning, time in town, a ride up Gubalowka and a long drive back in the evening. What separates them is the big block in the afternoon. On the listing this site books, that block is 3 hours in the Chocholowskie thermal pools, after a tasting in Chocholow and 2 hours in Zakopane. Other tours spend those hours on a snowmobile, on the trail to a mountain lake or simply on more sightseeing.
The best Zakopane tour from Krakow is the one whose afternoon matches your idea of a good day. If a warm pool with a view of the Tatras sounds right, the baths day is the obvious pick. If you would rather see the Zakopane style chapels and the ski jump, a highland day without pools gives you that time instead. Winter travelers who want speed and snow should look at the snowmobile days, and hikers at Morskie Oko. For a first visit, the Polish Tourism Organisation names Gubalowka, Kasprowy Wierch, Morskie Oko and Czarny Staw as the places to see.1
Length differs less than you might expect. The baths days run 11 hours, the snowmobile days 10 and the Morskie Oko day and the private full day 9 each. A day trip to the Tatras is always a long one: the drive from Krakow takes about 1.5 hours each way on our listing, before any queue or walk. A rafting day on the Dunajec with a mountain chairlift also runs 11 hours. Choose by content, not by an hour more or less.
Side by side
Zakopane day trips from Krakow by type
| Tour | Afternoon | From | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our baths day | Chocholowskie pools | €23 | 10,563 |
| Terma Bania day | Terma Bania pools | €23 | 2,175 |
| Highland day | Sights, no pools | €19 | 1,665 |
| Snowmobile and baths | Snowmobile ride | €47 | 670 |
| Morskie Oko day | Walk to the lake | €155 | 40 |
| Private full day | Gubalowka, Krupowki | €145 | 34 |
From-prices and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide; the booking box shows the live price.
The thermal baths day, the classic format
The baths day comes with a deep review record. Our listing has 10,563 reviews at an average of 4.8, and a near twin with thermal springs and a tasting carries 5,684 averaging 4.8. The structure is the same on both: a traditional village, Chocholow, Zakopane and Krupowki Street, the funicular and 3 hours at the Chocholowska baths.
One variant swaps the pools: a day with the same tasting and funicular ends with 3 hours at Terma Bania in Bialka Tatrzanska instead, and gives 2.25 hours in Zakopane. Terma Bania has 15 pool basins and over 300 m of water slides.2 Chocholowskie, the baths on our day, counts 52 pool troughs across almost 4,500 square meters of water.3
For guests who want a Spanish-speaking guide, another baths day lists English, Polish and Spanish, and holds 4,225 reviews averaging 4.9. Our listing leads in English and Polish and hands guests of other languages a booklet of instructions. None of these baths days charges a penalty for cancelling a full day ahead.
Hours away from Krakow
Length of each kind of Zakopane day
- Baths day11
- Snowmobile and baths10
- Highland day9
- Morskie Oko day9
- Private full day9
- Rafting day11
Durations as each GetYourGuide listing states them; traffic on the road south can add time on busy days.
The highland day for sightseers
Not everyone wants to spend 3 hours in a swimsuit. The highland day keeps the funicular and the cheese, and gives the afternoon to sights: Chocholow for 30 minutes, a cheese factory with tasting, the Wielka Krokiew ski jump, the Jaszczurowka chapel, 2 hours in Zakopane and a full hour on Gubalowka Hill. It starts from €19 and lasts 9 hours.
That extra time on Gubalowka matters. At 1123 m, the hill gives one of the finest outlooks over the Tatras, the town and the Podhale plain.4 On a clear day an hour there lets you walk along the ridge away from the crowd at the upper station, while 30 minutes is enough only for photos and a quick snack.
The highland day suits travelers who care about architecture and stories more than water. Its 1,665 reviews average 4.6, its guide scored at 4.8 and its value at 4.6. It is also the cheaper choice of the two, and the day is shorter than a baths day, which leaves a little more of the evening in Krakow.
Three kinds of day
Pools, sights or snow
No pools
The highland day
For sights and stories
- Length9 hours
- StopsSki jump, chapel
- Gubalowka1 hour
Snow day
Snowmobile and baths
For winter visitors
- Length10 hours
- Ride feeCash only
- PoolsChocholowskie
Snowmobile, quad and Morskie Oko days
The Polish Tourism Organisation counts snowmobile outings among the big winter draws of Zakopane.6 Out of Krakow, the snowmobile day that adds Zakopane and the Chocholowskie pools costs from €47 and has 670 reviews averaging 4.9. Another option rides for 1.5 hours, then adds a barbecue in Chocholow and 3 hours at the pools.
Check the snow and the fine print. One snowmobile day falls back on quads if the cover is poor, and collects PLN 400 in cash for each two-seat machine. The quads and bonfire day uses quads when there is no snow and collects PLN 350 per vehicle on site. Helmets, gloves and balaclavas are supplied on both.
Hikers have a very different option. A Morskie Oko day from Krakow takes you to the lake in the Tatra National Park, with about 4 hours of walking, and starts from €155. Anyone entering the park must buy an entry ticket.5 The park protects the whole Polish Tatra massif, including Rysy at 2,499 m.7 Our Morskie Oko page covers the walk itself.
Compare for your group
What each Zakopane day costs your group
Pick the number of travelers to compare starting fares side by side.
Weigh up 4 options
What each Zakopane day costs your group
Pick the number of travelers to compare starting fares side by side.
- Baths day11 hours · each person, from €21
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View - Highland day9 hours · each person, from €17
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View - Snowmobile day10 hours · each person, from €38
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View - Morskie Oko day9 hours · each person, from €138
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View
Starting prices from GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. You will see the exact price when booking.
Choosing step by step
From a wish to a booked seat
To begin
Pick the afternoon
Pools, sights, snow or a lake: the big block decides the tour.
Next
Check the length
Baths days run 11 hours, the highland day 9.
Then
Read the fees
Snowmobile rides may cost PLN 400 in cash on the day.
After that
Shared or private
A private car tour starts from €83.
Finally
Book flexibly
Refunds stay full until 24 hours before you go.
Zakopane private tour from Krakow
A Zakopane private tour from Krakow trades the shared coach for your own vehicle and guide. The private full-day tour runs 9 hours by van, spends 1.5 hours on Gubalowka and 1.5 hours on Krupowki Street, and visits the Jaszczurowka chapel, with the Peksowy Brzyzek cemetery as an option. It starts from €145 and is wheelchair accessible.
The private car tour you can shape yourself costs from €83 for 10 to 12 hours, with paid add-ons such as a snowmobile ride, Morskie Oko, a cable car or thermal baths, each for a fee. Another private full day lists guides in many languages, from French and Italian to Russian.
Private does not have to mean a separate product. The baths day this site books also lists a private group option. That keeps the proven plan, including the funicular and the pools, while removing strangers from the bus. Compare the private rate for your date with the private tours above before deciding.
Video
From Krakow to Zakopane, the Tatra mountain town
Mitch & Jan on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.
If you are visiting Zakopane for the first time, you must see the following places: Gubałówka, Kasprowy Wierch, Morskie Oko, or Czarny Staw.
Before you choose
What to check on any Zakopane listing
Read the plan3
- Total length and time in town
- Which baths, and for how long
- Whether the funicular is included
Read the fees3
- Cash ride fees on snowmobile days
- Lunch charged separately
- Park entry on Morskie Oko days5
Read the terms3
- Free cancellation window
- Guide languages on offer
- Wheelchair access, if needed
Zakopane tours reviews: what to read in them
Zakopane tours reviews pile up fast, and the counts tell you how a format holds up over thousands of ordinary days. The baths days carry the big numbers: 10,563 reviews on our listing, 5,684 and 4,225 on its nearest rivals. Smaller formats have smaller records: 670 for the snowmobile and baths day, 40 for the Morskie Oko day.
Where a listing shows a breakdown, read it. The springs and tasting day collects scores of 4.9 for its guide, while guests rate its transport 4.8 and its value for money 4.7. The Spanish-speaking baths day scores 5 for the guide and 4.9 for both transportation and value. The Morskie Oko day scores 5 for its guide but 4.4 for value. A low value score next to a perfect guide score can mean guests loved the day but found the price steep, which is worth knowing before you book a small-group format.
Reviews also flag the pressure points of any Tatra day: queues at the funicular on busy weekends, and crowds at the pools. Zakopane can receive up to 250,000 tourists on its busiest weekends, according to the Malopolska regional portal.8 Pick a weekday if you can, and expect to queue on a winter Saturday whatever tour you book.
How to choose in a minute
Start with the afternoon you want. Warm water and a view: the baths day, from €23. Churches, villas and the ski jump: the highland day, from €19. Speed on snow: a snowmobile day from €43, ride fee paid in cash. A lake under granite walls: the Morskie Oko day. Each of these answers a different wish, and trying to squeeze two of them into one day from Krakow usually means doing both in a hurry.
Next, picture your travel party. Parents of small children will like the children’s water area at Chocholowskie, almost 500 square meters, and the pool for the very youngest.9,10 Teenagers usually vote for slides or snowmobiles. A group that wants its own pace, or a guest who uses a wheelchair, should look at the private full day.
Finally, check the practical lines. Each tour on this page can be cancelled without cost until 24 hours ahead. Pickup windows, cash fees and exclusions vary between listings, and those small lines shape how smooth the day feels. Read them before you pay, keep some cash for the extras, and use the short quiz above to narrow it down.
FAQ
Straight answers to common questions.
What is the best Zakopane tour from Krakow?
For a first visit, the baths day.
Funicular, tasting and a long soak in one day, backed by 10,563 reviews.
Is there a Zakopane tour without thermal baths?
Yes, the highland day.
It spends 9 hours on Chocholow, a cheese factory, the ski jump, a chapel, Zakopane and Gubalowka.
Can I book a private Zakopane tour?
Yes, from €83.
Private car options begin at €83, and the private full day at €145.
Which tours include a snowmobile ride?
The snowmobile days.
Some switch to quads without snow and charge the ride fee in cash.
Is there a day trip to Morskie Oko from Krakow?
Yes, with a long walk.
The lake day takes 9 hours in total, with around 4 of them spent walking.
Which tour has a Spanish-speaking guide?
One baths day does.
Its live guides speak English, Polish and Spanish, and a full refund holds until a day before.
Can I cancel a Zakopane tour?
Yes, up to 24 hours ahead.
Every day compared on this page can be called off a full 24 hours ahead at no cost.
Sources
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Zakopane: The magic of winter ↩
- Terma Bania (official site) · Terma Bania ↩
- Chocholowskie Termy (official site) · Chocholowskie Termy ↩
- Malopolska Region tourist portal (visitmalopolska.pl) · Gubalowka funicular railway ↩
- Tatra National Park (tpn.pl) · Wstep do parku (park entry) ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Zakopane: The magic of winter ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Tatrzanski National Park ↩
- Malopolska Region tourist portal (visitmalopolska.pl) · Zakopane: the winter capital of Poland and the navel of the world ↩
- Chocholowskie Termy (official site) · Chocholowskie Swimming Pools ↩
- Chocholowskie Termy (official site) · Chocholowskie Swimming Pools ↩